The Lakers (25-50) ruled him out for Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks (44-31) at Staples Center because of continuous symptoms stemmed from vertigo and they have no assurances he will play in any of the seven remaining games. The Lakers have not ruled Gasol down for the season, but they do not know his status for Sunday against the Clippers in a designated road game at Staples Center.

Gasol sat out the Lakers’ loss Wednesday in Sacramento and remained confined to the team hotel after feeling dizziness. He then flew back to Los Angeles on the team’s charter plan after missing five games because of the illness.

This has marked a rough season for Gasol. He has experienced a variety of ailments, including an upper respiratory infection (three games) and a strained right groin (seven games). Gasol openly shared his philosophical differences with Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni about his offensive role and his small-ball philosophy. Although Gasol leads the Lakers in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game, he has shot 48 percent from the field, the second-lowest mark of his 12-year NBA career.

Gasol, 33, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer and will likely take a paycut from the $19.3 million he makes this season. If this marks Gasol’s last year in L.A. after surviving endless rounds of trade discussions for the past three seasons, his last game with the Lakers was a nine-point, four-rebound effort in Tuesday’s loss to Portland.

Afterwards, Gasol admitted he returned too early because of lingering symptoms. He felt worse after arriving in Sacramento.

End of Swaggy P?

Nick Young’s agent downplayed his client’s recent comments to NBA.com suggesting he will opt out of his $1.2 million player option to become a free agent this offseason.

“It’s obvious what Nick’s value is, but I don’t want to get into that right now,” Mark Bertelstein, Young’s agent, told this newspaper. “We’re not proactively worrying about next year right now. Nick’s energy and focus is without question about playing the games right now.”

The Lakers love Young for a variety of reasons.

He has averaged 17.8 points per game, second highest on the Lakers, and has shown a stronger commitment to defense. After missing 16 games recently because of a bone bruise in his left knee, Young scored 40 points Tuesday against Portland, three shy of his career high. Young, a former Cleveland High and USC product, also boasts an energetic personality that plays well to the Lakers’ fanbase.

But if Young opts out for a more lucrative deal, that could compromise the Lakers’ hope to maximize financial flexibility.

Advertisement

“He loves being a Laker,” Bartelstein said of Young. “It’s obvious in the way he’s playing and the energy he brings every night.